Question

Examine if Rolle’s Theorem is applicable to any of the following functions. Can you say some thing about the converse of Rolle’s Theorem from these examples?

f (x) = [x] for x ∈ [– 2, 2]

Answer 1

By Rolle’s Theorem, for a function f: [a, b] → R, if

(a) f is continuous on [a, b]

(b) f is differentiable on (a, b)

(c) f (a) = f (b)

then, there exists some c ∈ (a, b) such that f'(c) = 0

Therefore, Rolle’s Theorem is not applicable to those functions that do not satisfy any of the three conditions of the hypothesis.

f (x) = [x] for x ∈ [– 2, 2]

It is evident that the given function f (x) is not continuous at every integral point.

In particular, f(x) is not continuous at x = −2 and x = 2

⇒ f (x) is not continuous in [−2, 2].